why—­he gave her the password for the neat meeting, and said that an old gold coin must be shown.  She must have coaxed it, though he was a strong man, who could resist women.  I suppose he felt that he had been unkind.—­Were I Queen of Italy he should stand for ever in a statue of gold!—­The next appointed night a spy entered among the conspirators, with the password and the coin.  Did I tell you the Countess had one child—­a girl!  She lives now, and I am to know her.  She is like her mother.  That little girl was playing down the stairs with her nurse when a band of Austrian soldiers entered the hall underneath, and an officer, with his sword drawn, and some men, came marching up in their stiff way—­the machines!  This officer stooped to her, and before the nurse could stop her, made her say where her father was.  Those Austrians make children betray their parents!  They don’t think how we grow up to detest them.  Do I?  Hate is not the word:  it burns so hot and steady with me.  The Countess came out on the first landing; she saw what was happening.  When her husband was led out, she asked permission to embrace him.  The officer consented, but she had to say to him, ‘Move back,’ and then, with her lips to her husband’s cheek, ‘Betray no more of them!’ she whispered.  Count Branciani started.  Now he understood what she had done, and why she had done it.  ‘Ask for the charge that makes me a prisoner,’ he said.  Her husband’s noble face gave her a chill of alarm.  The Austrian spoke.  ’He is accused of being the chief of the Sequin Club.’  And then the Countess looked at her husband; she sank at his feet.  My heart breaks.  Wilfrid!  Wilfrid!  You will not wear that uniform?  Say ‘Never, never!’ You will not go to the Austrian army—­Wilfrid?  Would you be my enemy?  Brutes, knee-deep in blood! with bloody fingers!  Ogres!  Would you be one of them?  To see me turn my head shivering with loathing as you pass?  This is why I sent for you, because I loved you, to entreat you, Wilfrid, from my soul, not to blacken the dear happy days when I knew you!  Will you hear me?  That woman is changeing you—­doing all this.  Resist her!  Think of me in this one thing!  Promise it, and I will go at once, and want no more.  I will swear never to trouble you.  Oh, Wilfrid it’s not so much our being enemies, but what you become, I think of.  If I say to myself, ’He also, who was once my lover—­Oh! paid murderer of my dear people!’”

Emilia threw up both hands to her eyes:  but Wilfrid, all on fire with a word, made one of her hands his own, repeating eagerly:  “Once? once?”

“Once?” she echoed him.

“‘Once my love?’” said he.  “Not now?—­does it mean, ‘not now?’ My darling!—­pardon me, I must say it.  My beloved! you said:  ’He who was once my lover:’—­you said that.  What does it mean?  Not that—­not—? does it mean, all’s over?  Why did you bring me here?  You know I must love you forever.  Speak!  ‘Once?’”